Sunshine, Lollipops, and Sasuke
by XxInsanity With a SmilexX
Summary: Naruto is the son of a murderer. He never really thought that much about who was murdered. Until now. Itachi Uchiha, heir to the Uchiha Corp. and high ranking in the Akatsuki is looking around for payback. Instead of killing Naruto he offers him a deal: Come up with 80,000 and you live. Because a guy who's 16 with a shitty job will be able to get that much.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **Sup? This is a fanfic. Self-explanatory. Wanna know what it's about? Read and you'll find out. :3 Rhymes~! I also promise not to have a AN/Warning thing this long again. You are here for the story, not to read my random speakings of English.

**Warnings: **Further in might get pretty smutty but at the moment it won't be much. I'm keeping it M rated so I can get as 'creative' as I like. Also beware the swearing and violence. This is GuyXGuy so if you're a person who can't stand two guys getting intimate this is not the FanFic for you.

**Pairing: **Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki

**Disclaimer: **This may blow your mind but I don't own Naruto. Wow, that was unexpected . . . ;P

**Edit: **I changed a few things. It was bugging me and it will help answer a few of your questions.

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"Today is the day . . ." Naruto Uzumaki mumbled sadly as he pulled on his favorite orange T Shirt.

Exactly one year ago on this day his dad had died. The last relative he had still living had gone to the Netherworld. His family had been small to begin with but slowly people had been getting killed. It was like a stroke of really bad luck. Car crashes, hit and runs, murders, freak accidents, and other things of the sort. The blonde haired boy sighed and stretched, being depressed was hard. You'd think he had plenty of practice being the son of a criminal who was hated by all, but nope. Naruto tried to stay positive. Yeah, he failed at it, but point is he tried.

There was a gloomy silence in the apartment so as he walked down the hall so he stopped to turn on some music. Never Too Late by Three Days Grace began blaring through the house from his CD player, lifting his spirits. Naruto's clear blue eyes were still filled with sadness but now he could feel a slight smile forming on his lips. Maybe today wouldn't be that bad, he could go to school and smile like a normal kid. Pretend that a year ago he hadn't watched his dad killed by the man who claimed to be his friend. Trying to rid himself of the over depressing thoughts he focused on the white wall beside him.

The entire inside of his house was white except the oak floors. No pictures were on his walls because after his dad had died he didn't want to be reminded of the good times. When he wasn't living off the rather small sum his dad left him and even then having two part time jobs to be able to afford the apartment. Maybe it was because he was always trying too hard but it seemed like the world was against him. Up until a year ago it had been sunshine and lollipops but now the universe was trying to destroy him in every way. His classmates hated him, his teachers hated him, the guy who sold TV shit by walking door to door hated him, even that random who always manages to love everyone hated him.

He yelled in frustration, "NO NARUTO! YOU ARE HAPPY! FUCKING HAPPY! BE HAPPY!" Damn, why wasn't he being happy?

Those annoying little depressing things plagued him as he entered the small kitchen to make some instant ramen. He wasn't really paying attention so he grabbed whatever and just made it. Yet again the depressing thoughts attacked and he was forced to be reminded of the main reason he was where he was now. The whole reason his dad died was because he had been framed for murder. He hadn't killed anybody but seeing as him and a guy named Tobi had serious problems when Tobi went missing he was blamed. After weeks of searching and finding what appeared to be the burnt corpse of Tobi at a place where Naruto's dad had hung out they blamed him even more. He had been tried and sent to jail for murder.

Supremely pissed now, he began eating the ramen right after cooking it and almost burned his tongue off. Cursing under his breath he grabbed an ice cube and put it in his mouth. At that moment there was a rather loud banging on the door. Who in their right mind was bothering him at seven in the morning? Getting up, and forgetting that he was only wearing an orange t shirt and boxers, he went to answer. On his way he quickly munched and swallowed his ice cube.

"What do you want . . .?" He trailed off as he pulled the door open and felt his words die on his lips.

Standing there was a guy who was drop dead gorgeous. Naruto wasn't gay or anything but he couldn't deny it. He had long black hair, long for a guy, and mesmerizing eyes that were black as well but a bit lighter. The guy's skin was fair and he seemed to be about Naruto's age; 16. He was wearing a black and grey T-Shirt, torn and faded blue jeans, and a skull patterned wrist band that read 'I don't give a fuck'. Embarrassed; Naruto was all too aware of his lack of clothes. Black hair looked him once over and smirked.

"Name's Sasuke Uchiha, I wanted to ask you to turn the music up and maybe play some BB."

Naruto was taken aback. Turn it up?

"Sure, I was just eating ramen." He said nervously.

"Great." Sasuke said, letting himself in, "I'm starving."

Clueless as to what to do Naruto played some Breaking Benjamin, cranked it, and led Sasuke to the kitchen. Because letting complete strangers eat with you while garbed in boxers and a t shirt is normal. Still, he and Sasuke sat down. The guy seemed to be completely at ease but Naruto couldn't help but fidget. What the hell was he doing? Letting a random guy into his house/apartment. On the bright side though his depressing thoughts were completely gone.

Bad side he had a random dude in his house that was eating all his ramen. Well fuck.

"So are you new around here?" Naruto asked tentatively.

"Yeah." Sasuke said after swallowing some ramen.

He didn't elaborate so Naruto continued.

"Um . . . so what do you think of it?"

Wow, he sounded like an idiot.

Sasuke smiled slightly at his failed attempts at conversation.

"It's . . . decent I guess."

With a rush of relief Naruto saw it was about 7:30 AM.

"Well I got to get to school." He said, almost too quickly.

It seemed that the Uchiha picked up on it because a slightly annoyed look crossed his face. The look was gone in less than a second so Naruto wasn't sure if he had imagined it.

"See ya." Sasuke said, getting up and walking towards the door.

"Bye!" Naruto called out as he reached the door.

The guy didn't make any gesture that he had heard so Naruto was left sitting there unsure of what to do. All he was sure of was that this morning had been fucked up. And awkward. That also reminded him he wasn't wearing pants. Still thoroughly embarrassed about that he got up and went to his small room. Pants or shorts? Shorts it is. After deciding he went to his small dresser and pulled out some loose blue shorts, he hated feeling constricted. While tugging them on he decided to think about life.

In a few minutes he would be suffering the stares and what-not of ignorant people and be forced to do school work. Which he pretty much failed at as well. The main reason was because he was always too busy with part time jobs and the second was because all of his teachers never cut him any slack because he was a 'murder's' child. Not to mention that it was second year of highschool. Despite the bullying he still had to deal with normal stuff too. Sure fitting in kind of flew out the window but grades were a problem. Or the constant fear of getting lost somehow.

For some reason he couldn't get Sasuke Uchiha out of his head. He wanted to know where he had come from, why he had bothered him, why he was here now. It was like a spotlight had turned on in Naruto's mind and now all he could think about was Sasuke. Maybe it was because he had met the guy in such a weird way.

After pulling on some socks, sneakers, and grabbing his backpack he left the apartment. On his way down the stairs he bumped into a girl. Her hair was the oddest shade of bubblegum pink, reaching down to her shoulders, and her eyes were an emerald green. All in all she was a hot girl.

"Sorry!" He said hastily.

She smiled at him, "It's okay, just watch where you are going next time."

Wait what? She walked away and Naruto watched her go. Had she just been nice to him? Now that he thought about it he hadn't seen her around before. Maybe she was new like Sasuke. With that his mind effectively began wondering why so many new people were moving into the area as he walked to his high school.

Now the depressing thoughts plagued him again. After having been sent to jail his dad was let out. There wasn't enough proof to keep him convicted. Naruto had thought that his dad was off the hook. Of course fate wasn't so kind and a man who was a friend of his dad came to visit. They spent about three minutes talking before the guy pulled a gun and shot him. Shot him straight through the heart. Then he just walked out. Naruto still remembered screaming until his throat was raw and calling the cops. Going and sobbing his heart out because his dad had died. It still felt like it had happened yesterday. The memory was so vivid he would wake up screaming some nights. It haunted him.

Finally, after a ten minute walk, Kona High-School was in front of him. There was a ton of kids hanging out in the parking lot seeing as class hadn't started yet, but Naruto had no intention of joining them. They wouldn't let him join them. So to avoid all the hassle he chose to just head into the school. Some kids were in the halls but the numbers were scarce so Naruto chose to go and find his favorite hangout area.

The school was two stories and shaped like a box with a square indent on the front. Where he liked to hang out was on the second floor in the old Chem room that had been shut down. Nobody ever went there so it was peaceful. It took him about five minutes to get there but when he did there was still a good 30 minutes before class. For some odd reason the students at Kona High liked getting there early. It was an unspoken rule that if you didn't show up and socialize it made you weird.

Naruto opened the door to the Chem room and sat down on one of the boxes. It was being used for storage and students probably weren't allowed there but Naruto didn't care. Nothing he could do would make them think any worse of him than they already do. Piles of boxes were all around him and it made him feel hidden from the world. Like nobody could find him in here.

There was the sound of a box being bumped and someone swearing in pain. Naruto froze in fear of being discovered and quickly hid behind a pile of boxes. Nothing disturbed the silence of the room.

"Hey, it's you again." A familiar voice said from behind him.

Spinning around so fast he almost knocked the boxes over Naruto saw Sasuke Uchiha standing there covered in dust.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

Sasuke looked around the room, "Well I'm here in this room cause I got lost while exploring, but I'm at this school because my brother wanted me to attend the same one as him."

"Who's your brother?"

"Itachi Uchiha. Me and him live together. Our parents are traveling overseas."

He turned to look at Naruto, "Which reminds me, you never told me your name."

"It's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." He said awkwardly.

What a weird place to meet this guy. For the second time now he was talking to him but at least this time he was fully clothed.

Sasuke looked surprised, "You're the Naruto everyone has been telling me to avoid?"

"Most likely."

Why the hell is society so stupid? Even if his dad had murdered the guy it's not like Naruto did it. Now Sasuke would probably hate him too. The idea of that guy hating him was oddly annoying. Probably because he was hoping they could be friends.

"Wow, you look different than I imagined. The way they were talking about you I thought you'd be some dirty, foul mouthed, uncivilized, rude, thug."

WHAT THE F-

"I never imagined you'd be this cute."

Naruto did a double take, did he just hear that right?

"Or funny." Sasuke grabbed him by the shoulders and pressed him up against the wall.

"Or tempting." He whispered in his ear.

Then he was kissing him and his tongue entered Naruto's mouth without permission. Naruto felt tingles run through his body. As Sasuke explored his mouth with his tongue Naruto felt his resistance crumbling. The strange tingling feeling grew stronger until he was feeling hot and cold. Then he realized that he was kissing Sasuke who was a guy.

He pushed him away wiping his mouth furiously, "Get the hell away!"

The black haired boy grinned, "Why?"

"I'm straight!"

"Then why'd you let me kiss you? Wasn't your reaction a little slow?"

"Screw off." Naruto said angrily, scrubbing at his lips.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and held it in a strong hold, "Calm down Naruto."

Tingles ran through his arm where Sasuke touched him.

"Get off!" Even to himself his voice sounded weak.

"No." Sasuke said simply.

This time when he was kissed by him he couldn't resist. His whole life he had been straight . . . but really after his dad had died things like being gay didn't seem that shocking or horrible. Maybe the idea of changing was what was so scary. No longer being able to say firmly he was straight. So he made his choice.

He reacted to Sasuke almost instinctively and began kissing him back. While their tongues battled for dominance Naruto put his arms around Sasuke's neck and pulled him closer. For the short ten seconds it lasted Naruto forgot everything. All he could do was feel Sasuke's lips on his, Sasuke's warm body pressed against his, and Sasuke's arms pulling him closer.

They both were pulled out of the short bliss when there was a message over the PA system.

"Sasuke Uchiha, please report to the office. Your girlfriend says it's urgent."

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**A/N: **That's one way to make every kissing scene awkward. Remember; reviewing makes writing a lot faster. :D

**Edit: **So there you go~! Did that clear some things up? Even a little bit?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **So when I got home I was all "HOLY CRAP LOOK AT THE ALERTS!" When I woke up I was all "HOLY CRAP LOOK AT THE REVIEWS!" So all you people be proud that you have inspired me to write ASAP. At first I wanted to give it a week but now I really don't want to wait. :D Anyone who even just read it and hoped for more should give themselves a pat on the back.

Naruto's POV

It was like ice cold water had been doused on him. He stared at Sasuke who gave him an unflinching gaze back. _Sasuke Uchiha, please report to the office. Your girlfriend says it's urgent._

"Looks like I have to go." He said.

With that Sasuke walked out of the room. Without even giving him a second glance. Naruto stood there frozen until a warm burning feeling was in his gut. Numb fingers came to life and clenched into a fist. That bastard had played with him. Thrumming with anger Naruto sat down on a box and tried to calm himself. There was no need to be so angry. All he had to do was pretend nothing had happened and never speak to Sasuke Uchiha again. Naruto couldn't stop himself from feeling hurt though. For once he had thought someone would be nice to him. Instead he was made a fool of. Those few moments he had spent kissing Sasuke were definitely some of the best in his life. Now the words "Your girlfriend" floated around his head, refusing to leave him.

He punched the box pile beside him and it all went tumbling down in a huge crash. Fuck Sasuke, he wasn't going to let that bastard get to him. Absolutely seething Naruto headed off to his first class. It would be taught by one of the only teachers that didn't hate Naruto; Kakashi. Even that thought wouldn't calm him though. Despite his decision to not let Sasuke get to him there was still this choking feeling. It was like he couldn't breathe even though in reality he was fine. Finally he was in class and like usual when he walked in the room, all talking ceased and eyes were trained on him.

He took the empty seat by Shikamaru, the guy was the only one who didn't make a big deal about Naruto. Whenever Naruto asked him why he had just said it was too troublesome. At the moment the guy was staring at the front but the glazed look in his black eyes told Naruto he'd be in dreamland soon. His chocolate brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he was wearing simple jeans and a plain sandy brown t shirt.

"So where were you before class?" He asked.

Naruto was surprised, the guy barely bothered to talk.

"Just in the old Chem room. Why?"

He yawned, "I dunno, bored I guess."

Shikamaru didn't say anything else and lowered his head. He was probably going to be asleep any second now. Distraction gone Naruto's thoughts wandered back to Sasuke. Every time he thought about it he'd get the burning choking feeling back. Like he wanted to break something but at the same time he wanted to cry. The time ticked by and it was a good 15 minutes into class before Kakashi was there.

"Sorry, I was busy." The white haired man said as he entered the room.

He was about 24 and had white hair which made him pretty unique. His eyes were black and like all teachers he was wearing a rather formal outfit. Long sleeve shirt and fancy looking pants. The next hour was spent learning about math. By the time class was over Naruto was ready to take a nap like Shika. The guy was a genius so he could sleep through all the classes and still get straight A's. For a few seconds he wondered if Sasuke was that smart but then he realized what he was doing. The pencil he was gripping broke into pieces with a loud crack when his hand tightened.

"Something you want to say Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"No sir." Naruto said.

All eyes once again watched Kakashi and Naruto was able to try some calming methods. He needed something happy to think about. After a few seconds it was obviously never going to work so he raised his hand and asked to be excused from class.

"Yes, you can go." Kakashi told him without even turning his eyes away from the board.

Thankful to be able to move Naruto got up and grabbed his stuff. On the way out someone stuck their foot out to trip Naruto. He wasn't in the mood to take it though and gave them a sharp kick. There was a yelp of pain and cursing but he was out of earshot to hear much more. As he walked towards his locker he saw something that made him freeze.

Sasuke Uchiha was standing in the office and beside him was that pink haired girl. She was laughing and hugging his arm but he looked pissed. The principal, Mrs. Kumi, was talking to them in what sounded like a light and cheery voice. Curiosity spiked, Naruto moved closer and some of the conversation could be heard.

"I'm so happy to be going to the same school as Sasuke!" The girl said.

"That's very good Sakura, we'll be happy to have you." said.

There was the sound of a scraping chair. Mrs. Kumi must be getting up. Naruto moved out of his hiding spot to get a better look. However it was just at the wrong time because Sasuke's eyes met his. _Crap!_ Despite his hopes Sasuke used him as an escape.

"Oh sorry, Sakura and Mrs. Kumi, one of my friends is calling me. I gotta go. Can we continue this later?"

"Wait Sasuke!" Sakura was ignored though and he pulled away.

Naruto flinched as Sasuke walked towards him. This was the last thing he had wanted to happen.

"Naruto, sorry about before."

It hurt, him saying that. He walked away from Sasuke quickly. The guy followed and grabbed his arm.

"You don't know the full story!" There was an edge of anger to his voice now.

"What do I not know?" Naruto asked him, coming to a halt, "I know that you're dating that girl and cheated on her."

"I'm not dating her by choice." Sasuke said.

What?

"I'm dating her through an arranged meet. My brother wanted me to give her a chance."

"What?" Naruto said it out loud this time, disbelief coloring his voice.

"I never liked her. In fact I've been trying to get rid of her. That's why I need your help." Sasuke took a deep breath, "Be my boyfriend Naruto. Even if you don't like me, help me get rid of Sakura. I'll even pay you."

It took Naruto a second to decide, "Fine."

"Thanks." Sasuke said and kissed Naruto.

It was a quick kiss and then he was running off to class. Naruto tried to figure out what had happened and then he was grinning. So Sasuke _didn't_ have a girlfriend. Maybe it was stupid seeing as their relationship was arranged but Naruto couldn't get the words '_Be my boyfriend Naruto_" out of his head. He was practically walking on air the rest of the day. Time passed quickly and he didn't see Sasuke again except in the halls and they didn't have a chance to talk. Finally Naruto was on the ending stretch of the day.

The ending bell rang and Naruto left his last class, PE, and began walking through the school. For some reason the dirty looks bounced off his happy shield and his spirit didn't lower once. He was disappointed to not see Sasuke when he left the school building but didn't make a big deal out of it.

As he walked into the parking lot he noticed something wrong. People were hanging close to him and he recognized one of them.

"GET HIM!" The group of guys yelled as Naruto began running.

Guys broke away from different groups and soon Naruto was surrounded by seven guys. They were all notorious fighters, smokers, and druggies. All of them belonged to a gang that was made in school. If anything they had a measure of control over the students. Anyone who didn't listen to them was good as dead. One of them turned out to be the one Naruto had kicked.

They all closed in and Naruto was being pressed hard. He dodged a few hits and gave out a few punches but soon he was on his knees. Kicks were delivered from all sides and his entire body was in pain. It lasted only lasted 15 seconds or so but it felt like a lifetime.

"GET OFF HIM NOW!"

All the kicks stopped and someone was pulling him to his feet. It was Gaara, the leader of the gang. He had spiky red hair and was wearing a black hoodie and black pants. His cyan eyes were angry and he glared at his guys.

"Didn't I tell you Naruto was off limits?"

That came as a shock, Naruto hadn't even spoken to the guy before. He wasn't going to complain though. Right now he wanted to get patched up because even with Gaara supporting him he felt like he was going to pass out.

"Sorry Gaara but he was being a rude punk." One of the guys said.

Gaara moved faster than Naruto thought possible and slammed a fist into the guy's face while still supporting him. He fell to the ground sporting a bloody nose.

"IS THAT AN EXCUSE? YOU DARE DISOBEY ME BECAUSE OF THAT?"

All the guys took a step back at the anger in his voice. Naruto wanted to take a step back as well but at the moment he was too busy trying to stay vertical. God, he was hurting. Being kicked on the ground was not something you should ever want to do.

"Hey, are you okay?" Gaara asked.

Naruto was confused until he got what he meant. Basically he was saying 'Do I need to rush you to the hospital?'.

"I'll be fine." He said.

To prove his point he shrugged off Gaara's arm and tried to take a step. The ground seemed to be spongy though and it raced up to meet him. Strong arms grabbed him and held him upright.

"Just say when you're injured, don't go falling face first into concrete." Gaara told him, once again supporting him.

Naruto didn't say anything and Gaara got the clue.

"To the infirmary it is."

The group of guys scattered as Gaara led Naruto away. Why the hell was Gaara helping him was what Naruto wanted to know. The dude was known for being ruthless and heartless. He glanced over at the red haired boy and noticed a tattoo over his left brow. It meant love. The irony of it struck Naruto; a guy who was rumored to have no soul, much less a heart, had 'love' on his head.

"It's to remind me." Gaara said without looking at him.

"Oh." Naruto said quietly, how had Gaara seen him?

The rest of the walk was rather silent, Gaara clearly wasn't very chatty. People were staring though, like they were some kind of strange species. Walking to the infirmary was quick and Gaara was pulling him through the door.

Tsunade, the nurse, looked up from where she was on the computer. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a braid and she was wearing a white shirt and pants. Brown eyes widened as she took in Naruto's beaten body.

"What happened?" She asked as Gaara helped Naruto into a chair.

"An accident." Gaara answered for him.

It wasn't surprising he wanted to keep it hushed up that Naruto had been attacked. It was annoying but not surprising. After Tsunade was done examining him she had results.

"Nothing broken but you'll be bruised very badly. Don't act so stupidly and get in fights." She said.

Looks like she had seen past Gaara's excuse.

"Don't worry, I just went easy on them." Naruto joked.

Tsunade dabbed some alcohol on his wound and made him hiss in pain.

"Don't disagree with your elders."

Naruto gritted his teeth as the alcohol stung his tender flesh. Some places even had split skin and after his remark Tsunade seemed to enjoy rubbing it on. They were just about finished up when Sasuke came running through the door.

"Naruto! I he-" He froze when he saw Gaara.

His expression changed entirely, now it was a wary look that said he was ready to bolt.

"Nice to see you Sasuke, it's been a while." Gaara said, grinning.

The way he said it made Naruto shiver. These guys had history and it wasn't a good one.

"Sorry Naruto, I'll see you tomorrow." Sasuke said stiffly.

He left the room quickly and each step seemed to make him stiffer. Gaara's smile faded quickly and he turned back to Naruto.

"How do you know Sasuke Uchiha?"

Unsure of what to say Naruto answered simply, "I've seen him around and we've spoken a couple times."

Something flashed in his eyes but Naruto couldn't tell what it was. The hair on the back of his neck seemed to stand up straight and he got goosebumps.

"Stay away from him." He said, "Sasuke Uchiha is nothing but bad luck."

Gaara left as well then. Thanking Tsunade, Naruto left and exited the school. The sun was setting now and the sky was that rare orange streaked pink. As he walked home Naruto couldn't help but wonder about Gaara's warning. How did he know Sasuke? And seeing as he clearly did how is Sasuke bad luck. Gaara was also known as a vicious person so why would he not want Naruto to get beaten to a pulp. Those seconds on the ground had been horrible and Naruto felt bitter anger because of it. Being picked on was annoying enough but going as far as gang beat was unusual. What was really annoying was that the teachers did nothing to stop it.

The walk seemed to be extremely quick and he was home again. He was second floor in the apartment building and on the way up he didn't see anybody he recognised. Or maybe he did but he was too consumed in his thoughts to notice. Questions swirled around and for the millionth time today he wanted ANSWERS.

He pulled open the door to his quiet apartment and stepped in. After shrugging off his backpack and kicking off his shoes he made a quick supper. It was called a ham sandwich. He'd be working all night so eating while he could was the best idea. Checking the clock he realised that it was later than he had thought and that there was less than twenty minutes before his shift. Naruto put his half eaten sandwich down and ran out the door while pulling on his shoes. Tonight was going to be a long night.

**A/N:** So what do you think hm? This took a little longer than I hoped but whatever. Gaara has finally been introduced and trust me; he plays an important part. Don't worry though; there is a method to my madness. (I love that line~!)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**Good news for you guys~! I suddenly have a lot of time on my hands due to certain reasons so that means I can write like you've never seen. A special shout out to Thorn Dark Angel because they have been reviewing the whole way through. :D Thanks a lot to them and anyone else reviewing, faving, or even just reading~! ^-^

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Naruto's POV

Something was bugging him. He was in that half-awake half asleep state where nothing seems to matter but something was bugging him. Opening an eye he was met with a full on beam of sunshine. Grumbling under his breath, he got up to face the day. For a few seconds the events of yesterday were gone but they came rushing back. So did his annoyance.

Why the hell was everything a secret, he seriously wanted to know what was going on. Whatever, it'll come unravelled in time. Content for the moment he went and took a quick shower and did his usual morning ritual. Today he wore a green camo shirt and black shorts. For breakfast he had a simple leftover sandwich. It was all he wanted to eat at the moment because now the injuries from yesterday were hurting if he moved the wrong way.

The way out of the apartment building was uneventful but what he saw when he got outside was a surprise. A sleek black motorcycle was in the parking lot with a crowd of people staring. The rider was wearing a black leather jacket, dark blue, ripped jeans, biker boots, and a black helmet. They turned towards Naruto and pulled off the helmet.

Gaara was sitting there, the black setting off his red hair and blue eyes perfectly. He looked dangerous and beautiful at the same time. Like the glint off a knife or the pretty jewel surrounded by flames. The morning sun just enhanced his features, Naruto couldn't help but stare.

"Uzumaki! I came to give you a ride." Gaara called.

Snapped out of his staring, Naruto walked over, "Um, thanks."

"Here." He tossed him the helmet as he got closer.

Naruto grabbed it but really had no clue what to do then. Not once had he ever been on a motorcycle. A smile appeared on Gaara's lips.

"Really?" He asked as he got off his bike, "You don't know how to put on a helmet?"

He grabbed it and put it on Naruto's head. Naruto shivered being so close to Gaara. This guy made him edgy but excited at the same time.

"Now get on." Gaara said as he got back on.

Naruto got on and wrapped his arms tentatively around Gaara's waist.

"If you don't hold on tighter you're going to go flying and paint the road with your blood." He said.

He tightened his arms around Gaara and could feel the warmth coming from him. Just at that moment there was the sound of running feet.

"Naruto! Get away from Gaara!" Sasuke yelled.

He was standing there looking like he had ran a mile, drenched in sweat, and clearly panicking. Sasuke was wearing baggy jogging pants and a grey hoodie. Naruto began to loosen his arms but Gaara held him on.

"Sorry Uchiha but I'll be keeping him for now." Gaara said.

They lunged forward and were racing away leaving Sasuke behind.

"What the hell? Let me off!" Naruto shouted.

Gaara laughed, "And let you run back to Sasuke? No, this is too much fun."

"What is up with you and Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"He stole something of mine and I want it back."

What did he mean? The rest of the ride was pretty quiet but before they reached the school Gaara spoke again.

"I'm serious; stay away from Sasuke, nothing good will come of it."

"What _should_I do then?" Naruto asked, annoyed.

"If you're ever bored just come find me."

He froze and looked at Gaara's face. It betrayed little emotion but there was a sparkle of laughter in his eyes.

"Sure . . ." He trailed off uncertainly.

"We're here."

So they were. People were staring at them in what seemed like pure shock. Naruto couldn't help but feel a little happy for Gaara's protection. Now people would think twice before being total dicks. Gaara parked and Naruto jumped off.

"Thanks, bye."

He looked like he wanted to say something else but Gaara shook his head and raced away. Naruto heard the whispered questions and speculation but he ignored it. Hopefully Gaara would make a powerful ally.

"Hey you!" Someone yelled.

It was Sakura, she was looking pretty angry.

"Hi, what is it?" Naruto said, feeling apprehensive.

"I just wanted to say good luck with Gaara!" Her tone instantly turned sweet.

It gave him goosebumps. There almost seemed to be some kind of dark undercurrent. Like a pond that seems peaceful but in truth has raging water. Her face was full of innocent light so he just muttered 'Yeah Gaara seems like a good friend'.

"That's great! Bye Naruto!" She called cheerily and almost ran off.

What was that? He went to his first class severely creeped out. First and second period passed without any more incidents. Lunch had finally arrived so he bought some pop and retreated to the Chem room. When he arrived there someone seemed to be in it. There was a considerable amount of whispering. Curios as to who was in his hiding spot he inched forwards. Only when he pressed his ear to the door was he able to hear the conversation.

"I-I don't want to Ino." A girl stuttered.

Ino as in The Ino? A girl with more money than she could handle and always being flocked by guys? What in god's name was she doing in a dusty Chem room? Or judging from the rumors; _any_Chem room. This girl was your classic queen bee. Gorgeous yet not that smart. Although rumor had it she was actually smarter than you'd think. But still, not that smart.

"Don't be wimpy Hinata. Iruka will never know it's gone." Ino said.

The name Hinata rang a bell but Naruto wasn't in the mood to take a trip down memory lane.

"But what if he does. I could get _expelled_." She whispered the last part as though it would curse her.

"Don't be stupid, it's just test answers. Besides, he trusts you, Mrs. A+."

"I-Ino what if . . . I-I, what if I can't get them?"

There was a groan, "Just stroll in and grab them!"

"B-But Ino!"

"Oh my god this is going nowhere!"

Someone was moving around and too late Naruto realized what was going on. He jumped back in time to avoid getting slammed in the face but he wasn't unseen. Ino's baby blue eyes widened as she took him in. Like usual her hair was in a shimmery golden ponytail. She was wearing a V cut, that showed a generously sized chest, purple shirt with long sleeves and blue skinny jeans.

"Naruto Uzumaki?"

There was a little shriek of fright from behind her. Hinata was paled and staring with her hand over her mouth. What was written on her face was clear; 'Oh no! It's the murderer's son!'. `

"Yeah." He said a little sharper than intended.

Ino didn't take offense though and gave him a perfect white smile, "You probably already know me. I'm Ino."

He smiled back, "If I didn't I would have to be living under a rock. You practically own the school."

Instantly he was annoyed. Why the hell was he talking with Ino? It was light and joking but _still_.

Her smile showed some surprise and then it became a real one, "So you know how to jest? Not bad Naruto."

Then his smile became real as well. Despite her reputation the girl he was talking to seemed nice.

"So what are you doing here? Besides trying to get Hinata to steal test answers for you."

Her smile slipped a little and became forced, "Scoping out a new hangout area."

"Sorry but it's taken." He informed her, seeing through the bluff.

"Fine, I'll tell you the truth. We need to talk."

"About?"

Her eyes flickered to Hinata, "We need to talk _alone_."

Hinata nodded and got up. White eyes met blue ones and then darted away. Purple hair cascaded down her back and she was wearing a simple white tee and white pants. Her body language gave away the fear she was feeling. What may have been an innocent walk was too fast and her breathing was heavy and hitched. Naruto felt a pang of pity before he remembered that he was the reason for her fear.

"So what does the famous Ino want with low life me?" He asked.

"Itachi, I want Itachi." She said simply.

Was she on crack? He didn't even know the guy.

"Sorry but I don't know him."

"But you know his brother. And his brother seems to have taken a liking to you."

A faint blush swept over his cheeks and he swallowed hard.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So get closer to him and get closer to his brother. I want to know everything about him."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because ever since he made me look stupid I've wanted to get him back. The best way is to break his heart." Her eyes had an evil glint.

Naruto knew where the rumors came from now. She was freaking scary looking when talking about that stuff.

"You have your mission, now go do it." Ino got up.

"I'm not your dog."

"So? I'll owe you a big favor." Her smile was angelic.

And fake.

"Fine."

He was tying himself up in deals. Gaara wanted him to stay away from Sasuke. Ino wanted him to get closer. Sasuke wanted him to date him so he could get rid of Sakura. Things were getting complicated. Oddest of all was why Sasuke even gave him a second glance. His only interesting point was his 'murderer' father.

Ino opened the door and almost walked into someone. Her eyes got round as quarters and then she was darting past. Speak of the devil . . ..

Sasuke looked at Naruto and it was clear that from every inch of his being he was angry. Oh crap . . . he gnawed his lip nervously under the black eyed stare.

"Don't ever do that again." He said quietly.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but what is so bad about Gaara?"

"He's bent on making me miserable."

"WHY?" He hadn't meant to shout but he couldn't help himself.

"Because two years ago we both had our eyes on the same girl! I never showed any interest but she dumped Gaara and tried to go out with me. I told her she was nuts and to screw off and she went running back to Gaara. He didn't take her back but he blames me."

Naruto looked at him in shock. The scenario had been thought over once but he never expected it to be true. For a second he felt jealousy over someone who had perked Sasuke's attention but waved it away. That was just stupid.

"Then what does this have to do with me?" Naruto asked.

"He knows you've interested me."

"Yeah, I see a bright future for a fake relationship." He said sarcastically, anger making him reckless.

"Stop acting stupid. I came here to tell you that you're visiting my place tonight."

"Wha- wait why?"

That was out of the blue.

"Because it's time to break the news to my big bro." He said it like it was obvious.

"Um, okay." Naruto said nervously.

It was just meeting his brother, how bad could it be?

* * *

They were at an apartment building not far from Naruto's. Cold air blasted him as they walked into the building. It was clearly higher class than his. For a couple seconds he wondered if Sasuke came from a rich family. Maybe but at the moment he seriously doubted it. Shouldn't he be more classy then? Not running around in torn jeans and black T shirts. Something like ties and fancy pants would make more sense. He was jolted out of his speculation when Sasuke and him went to the elevator. Sasuke clicked the top floor. As the elevator jolted into action he finally got up the nerve to break the silence.

"So top floor? That's pretty fancy." Naruto said.

"My mom and dad are rather rich. They send me and Itachi checks."

Wow, he was right? Sasuke _was _from a family with money.

"Oh . . ." Not sure of what else to say he trailed off.

The silence stretched out until the elevator binged to the top. When the doors opened it looked like a single apartment. Only freaking huge. Apparently Sasuke owned the whole floor. Holy crap. They appeared to be in the living room.

There was a huge flat screen TV and black leather sofas. The whole room looked like something out of a magazine. Lying on the sofa was a guy who definitely belonged in a modelling magazine. His midnight black hair was in a ponytail and glittering red eyes. People would kill for the perfection that was his face. All he wore was a loose sleeveless white T shirt and low resting jeans. He was flipping through channels while lounging with natural grace. Suddenly Naruto understood exactly what Ino's actual motives were. Itachi Uchiha looked like a god. And familiar.

"Sasuke? Oh, you brought him?" He said without glancing over.

His voice was like a switch and Naruto knew exactly who he was. And it was a pure fear shot to his soul.

"You . . ." He trailed off, feeling cold down to his core.

"Do lock the door Sasuke. Our guest may do something foolish." Itachi finally looked over with a predatory smile.

This was the man who had killed his father.

**A/N:** Mwahahaha~! Has Sasuke's real motive been revealed? Was it all a lie? What does Itachi want with Naruto? Questions are swirling through your brain. Want answers faster? Something that starts with 'R' will get them. BTW I am a die hard Itachi lover so I will be doing my best to make him as sexy as possible. :3


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I am really sorry about taking so long. It is a crappy excuse but I was occupied with a really good manga I found. On to a more relevant topic; there will be changes. Changes in the first chapter that is. I plan to update maybe a day or two after putting up this chapter. So if you Story Alerted then the Alert is cuz of the first chapter. Or is it? O.o

* * *

Naruto's POV

"Son of a bitch!" Naruto yelled and grabbed the nearest thing.

He chucked the picture straight at Itachi and who caught it easily.

"Stop it Naruto." Sasuke said.

"That guy killed my dad!" He yelled.

Everything was obvious now, Sasuke had lied to him.

"Of course he did, your dad got what he deserved."

It was like a dagger to the heart. Hearing those words made him furious, miserable, and shocked all at the same time. Spinning around he punched Sasuke cleanly in the face. Sasuke moved his head at the right time to dodge but Naruto still managed to clip him. Someone grabbed him by the arms and held him securely.

"Why are you playing along Sasuke? You could have dodged it easily." An unfamiliar male voice said.

"I deserved the punch. Although you would have never taken it would you Deidara?" Sasuke said, unfazed by Naruto's punch.

"True." Deidara said.

"Let him go, if he can't even punch Sasuke there is no point in holding him down." Itachi said, moving into a sitting position.

The arms released him and he stumbled forward. A guy with long blonde hair held back in a ponytail grinned at him. The shirt he was wearing was completely black except the small red cloud on the color. His pants were faded and ripped so precisely a professional must have done it.

"Hi, my name is Deidara. I'm sure we'll be great friends." He said.

His blue eyes were light and playful and Naruto might have even believed him if it wasn't for the way he acted. Every move was too smooth and behind that friendly attractive face there was a dark shadow. Like a carnivorous flower waiting to strike. Or a bomb about to go off.

"Don't act stupid Deidara." A guy said, walking in from what looked like a kitchen.

He was holding a half-eaten Pop Tart and seemed completely uninterested in what he was seeing. His hair was spiked and red and set off his brown eyes nicely. Despite the fact that he was wearing a black leather jacket and loose jeans there was also a little red cloud on his jacket cuffs like Deidara. Even Itachi had the little red cloud on his shirt over his heart.

"Shut up Sasori." Deidara said, shooting him an annoyed glance.

"Are you gonna make me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Both of you stop fighting. Naruto payed us a visit, we need to be good hosts." Itachi said.

"I don't know why I have to be here. Couldn't you have gotten Kisame or something?" Deidara complained.

"Of course the slacker wants to give up." Sasori stared at him in open dislike.

"I swear to god I am going to kill you one of these days." He said angrily.

"Will you all just SHUT UP?" Sasuke yelled.

There was a silence for three seconds before Sasori spoke.

"You could have asked nicely."

"Can I leave now?" Naruto asked.

"But the party is just starting." Deidara said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

He didn't dare shrug it off.

"Actually the demonstration should be showing up soon." Itachi said calmly, looking towards the door.

At that moment it burst open and a guy ran in. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and was wearing clothes covered in dirt.

"Itachi I'm so sorry! I couldn't come up with the money!" He gasped, falling to his knees in front of him.

"It's okay." He said kindly.

The guy's eyes widened in shock as Itachi placed the gun against his head. There was a loud bang.

"There is enough money for me to swim in but I never forgive."

He fell to the ground with a bullet hole cleanly in his forehead. A pool of blood was rapidly forming and Naruto could only stare in horror. That guy was dead. The chill he had felt to his core became an icey terror and somewhere in his mind he was weeping. Out of fear and pain from the betrayal he felt from Sasuke. Now he was going to end up like that guy with a bullet in his head.

"Take him out." Itachi ordered someone in one of the adjoining rooms.

A guy wearing the classic black suit and shades came in and dragged him out. They probably had a private elevator where they could dump off the bodies. For an odd reason Naruto's mind was still calm and controlled processing everything with a cool criticalness. It was like after seeing that guy die something just kicked in so now he his fear was there but not there. Like he was scared but his brain had shoved it to the not important section.

"Blood is pretty hard to wash off. You better get to work on that." Deidara said, gesturing at the blood pool.

Itachi ignored him and focused Naruto with a blood red stare.

"Do you know why my eyes are this way?" He asked him.

Mutely he shook his head.

"They got this way because when I saw my first kill it affected something in my eyes; tainted them a bit. It's a rare chance of this happening but they get redder with every kill. Until they are blood red. Science can't explain or reverse it."

Naruto suppressed a shiver. This was the kind of stuff you hear about in stories full of death. And he knew why Itachi was telling him. It was a warning that he had no qualms about killing him.

"Now we need to discuss something your father left behind for you." He said, nodding at the couch across from him.

Deidara's arm pushed him slightly and he began walking over there. When he sat down the blonde also sat beside him. Deidara chuckled quietly when he looked over at Sasuke. Naruto didn't see what was so funny, Sasuke had put on a perfect poker face.

"Naruto do you know why I killed your father?" Itachi asked.

"No." Naruto was proud of how clear his voice sounded.

He needed to do his best to sound unafraid. His poker face had to be steel no matter what they said. Hopefully he was doing a good job.

"Your dad owed us something. The Akatsuki that is. We give out loans of money and one day your dad came knocking on my door. He needed money fast and took over 5000 dollars on the spot. I waited for quite a while but he didn't give it back. Not even in chunks. So I sent some guys to persuade him."

Naruto was slowly putting the pieces together. He remembered how every once and awhile his dad would come home covered in injuries. His dad had claimed him and his friends had just gotten a little rough. Now he couldn't help but believe Itachi. It all fit together. How when they were really low on money dad has gotten more cash. He said it was from a job . . . now Naruto was seeing the real deal. God this sucked. Naruto wanted to puke, it felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He didn't want to believe it but the truth was too obvious. It explained a lot.

"After a while he freaked and attempted to kill one of the higher ups.. Tobi was the name he was known by to the public."

It was blank horror, like everything had frozen. But really nothing had stopped.

"No," Naruto choked out, "My dad wouldn't kill anybody."

Itachi watched him with eyes void of pity.

"He tried, and almost did. I decided it was enough and got him sent to jail. It wasn't right though and killing him myself was to honor our old friendship."

"Why, WHY DID YOU DO IT?" Naruto yelled.

His poker face was history and tears streamed freely down his face. Everything was falling down around him. All his sweet illusions. He could feel Deidara's stare and ignored Sasori's look of contempt. Sasuke he didn't want to look at. Couldn't look at.

"I just told you. The reason I told you is because your father left you a 6,000$ debt. In fact the interest rates have shot it up to 8,250$. So now it falls upon you to pay it off." Itachi flung a card at him, "Call me when you have the money."

"Wait what?" Naruto felt even more horrified.

How the hell was he going to keep up? Even a small interest rate would easily drown him.

"Sasuke lead our friend outside. His welcome has been worn out." Itachi went back to flicking through the channels.

"Wait!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke pulled him away.

"Dammit Itachi Uchiha explain yourself!" Itachi ignored him.

"Shut up." Sasuke said as he pulled him into a private elevator.

How did Naruto notice something as simple as a 'Private, Uchiha Use Only' sign he hadn't a clue. His mind was just in a complete haze. Finally alone with Sasuke he looked over to see the raven black haired boy watching him. There was something in his eyes, a glitter of pity. Naruto hated it.

"Why aren't you laughing?" He asked.

Sasuke's expression was tinted with annoyance and maybe a little shame.

"JUST LAUGH AT ME WHY DON'T YOU? LAUGH AT FOOLISH ME! LAUGH YOU BASTARD! LAUGH!" He yelled.

Furiously he wiped away his tears and sunk down so he was sitting as far away from Sasuke as possible.

"I don't find this the least bit funny." Sasuke said.

"Oh really? Wasn't it fucking hilarious to make me believe you cared? Even a little? AND THEN YOU SAY MY DAD DESERVED TO DIE!" His voice had once again risen to a shout and he sprung to his feet.

Sasuke grabbed his arms and pinned him up against the wall. He tried to get away but Sasuke had a grip of steel.

"This isn't what you think Naruto. That was just business with my brother. I didn't mean what I said. It was all script. Your dad made a stupid mistake but NOBODY deserves to die the way he did." He said angrily, staring into Naruto's eyes like he could convince him through willpower alone.

"You're lying." Naruto said, just as angry.

"No I'm not dumbass. Do you think I enjoy making my boyfriend suffer?"

"We're done. It might have been only a contract but I don't ever want to see your face again."

Sasuke's eyes blazed with an angry black fire.

"We are NOT done Naruto!"

"Yes we are Sasuke. You may have screwed around with my feelings and tried to make me something I'm not but this is over. Fuck, the fact that this happened kills me and I can't stand it. You seriously let me down."

Sasuke stared at him for a millisecond in shock and then spoke, "You are going to regret saying that."

His grip tightened and he kissed Naruto. It wasn't soft like before but rough and fiery. Naruto tried to get away but Sasuke held him immobilized.

When Sasuke's kisses trailed down across his jaw to his neck Naruto was able to choke out some words.

"Sasuke get . . . off." His breathing was uneven.

He ignored Naruto and proceeded to pull off his shirt. Naruto shivered from the cold elevator wall. His bare back was pressed against it with Sasuke's warm body against his chest.

"No Sasuke. Dammit, get off!" He sounded a little stronger this time.

Sasuke's kisses didn't stop until he rose again to capture Naruto's mouth. Unable to speak Naruto was stuck trembling under the Uchiha's touch. It wasn't right. Not with someone who was connected to his father's death. His body was reacting though and he couldn't help it. His heart was crying and his mind was yelling angrily. Everything in him was in conflict. What about the debt? How would he pay it off? Sasuke needed to STOP.

"Mmf, no . . . Sasuke." It was difficult to speak with Sasuke all over him.

Finally Sasuke pulled away from Naruto to look him straight in the eye.

"We are not over. I will pay you to date me, you need all the help you can get on your debt. You are MINE Naruto." He was dead serious.

"Why the hell are you bothering me?" Naruto asked.

"You're the object of interest to the Akatsuki at the moment and, " He leaned in closer, "There is something irresistible about you."

"Stay away from me." He said angrily, "I will never forgive you."

"Naruto," Sasuke began.

The elevator door binged open and Naruto shoved Sasuke away. He ran full speed through the lobby and out the doors. A bright sun was welcoming him but he felt dead inside. He ran, ran without looking back.

Sasuke's POV

Dammit. Sasuke watched Naruto run off. That idiot! He was seething. What was going on with the debt wasn't his fault. Itachi had merely said he wished to meet with Naruto so Sasuke just did what was necessary. It didn't mean he lied to him! Fuck . . . what now? Naruto was clearly pissed at him so it wasn't going to be easy. His lips tingled as he remembered kissing him. At the time it had been forced, what would it be like if Naruto was willing?

He looked around the lobby and decided to leave. The best thing for now was to come up with a new plan. Heat hit him like a wave as he stepped out of the beginning. Soon it would be summer but it was already hot enough to be. Breathing in deeply he stared up into the sky. What would it be like to just be simple and pure like the sun? To not be cursed because he was an Uchiha?

* * *

**A/N:**That took longer than expected. I am sorry bout that. Usually my laziness would be all 'Why you working hm? Just do what you wanna do. It's not like they actually like your story.' Then I'd see the reviews and I'd think that as long as even one person likes it I'll keep writing.

**Reviews are loved. You shall be rewarded with faster chapters if you do~!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I am really sorry for taking forever to update. For about a week I was sick and then seeing as it is so hot I've been spending a lot of time at the local swimming area. Also the stupid file got corrupted and huzzah! I get to re-write. Seriously I am sorry for the super long wait. Please don't chase after me with pitchforks.

* * *

Naruto's POV

He ran blindly through the streets of the city until he reached his apartment. Night was rapidly falling and a cold wind was blowing. It was nothing compared to the blizzard in his heart though. Naruto wanted to either break down screaming or smash something. His tears had run out a long time ago. Now he just felt empty.

As he walked up someone detached themselves from the wall. It was Gaara.

"Why are you here?" His voice was raw from crying.

Gaara sighed, "I'm here because I was worried when Sasuke and you disappeared."

"Go home." Naruto said in the same rough but dead voice.

He tried to push past Gaara but he grabbed his arm.

"What happened?" Cyan eyes met sky blue eyes.

"I learned a lot of things today."

He pulled away from Gaara and went into the apartment building. In the back of his mind he noted how he was going to be late at work. Naruto worked at the local McDonalds. The pay wasn't that bad and it had plenty of open spots. He got to be the clerk dude who waited for people to make up their mind. It was boring most of the time and it sure as hell couldn't pay back his debt.

He opened the door to the dark silent apartment and wanted to scream. Just scream. Nothing was wrong with the apartment but inside he felt like he was falling apart. Fuck everything. His hands trembled slightly as he opened the fridge. There was nothing in there he wanted to eat. He didn't want to eat anything. It was like food no longer mattered. Even if he did eat something he'd probably throw up. Slamming the fridge closed, Naruto fell into the chair behind him. Sighing he put his head between his hands. Everything was breaking into pieces and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

* * *

_One week later_

Naruto was feeling really uneasy. So far Itachi hadn't contacted him but that wasn't what was bothering him. Not once in all this time had he seen Sasuke and Gaara. Sasuke could stay gone for a century but Gaara seemed nice enough. The two of them missing at the exact same time was what was so worrisome.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Ino asked, sliding onto the bench beside him.

This was another odd occurrence that had happened. Even though Naruto said it was going to be impossible for him to help her with her Itachi problem she still stuck around. He took to eating in the cafeteria too because his precious hiding place was being remodeled; Now he was sitting in the noisy place munching on his ham sandwich.

"Gaara and Sasuke gone at the same time and they weren't exactly friends." He told her, not bothering to beat around the bush.

If there was one thing he had learned about Ino it was that she was trustworthy. Harsh at some times but she never lied and never broke her word. Telling her things was easy and Naruto took comfort in this. It was nice to open up to someone who wouldn't judge you.

"Yeah. Has that ass bothered you about the debt?" Ino's code word for Itachi was 'that ass'.

"Nope and so far my savings are 5 bucks that I found on the ground." He said glumly.

"Just say the words and I'll help." She said.

"I don't want charity. I'll fix this problem through hard work."

"Unless robbing a bank counts as hard work you are never going to be able to pay it back."

"Maybe you could get me a good job with all your connections." He said, the idea suddenly popping up.

Ino gave a him a look that forbad nothing good, "I have a relative who owns a very successful business and there is an open slot."

"Great," Naruto said, genuinely happy, "Will they hire me?"

"Depends on what you're willing to do."

* * *

The club was noisy and dark, strobe lights flaring over the dancing people. Naruto felt out of place and extremely awkward. Ino was pulling him through the crowd until they reached a table with some benches around it. The way it was positioned made it so nobody could look inside. After school she had led him to the club, it was called Forbidden. It was a fitting name because in all aspects it was a gay bar. Calling it a 'club' was like calling a hell hound a puppy. They both sat down and Naruto wanted to flinch every time someone looked at him.

"So this is the job I was talking about." Ino said, fluffing her recently curled hair.

"You expect me to work here?" Naruto looked at her like she was insane.

"Do you have any better ideas?" She asked.

"No but-"

"Don't 'but' me Naruto," Ino glared at him, "You are in way over your head and you know it. All's you have to do is be a waiter."

"At a GAY BAR!" He hissed angrily.

"Nobody who knows you would be hanging out at a gay bar idiot. It's more of a nightclub that is _very _friendly towards gays. Besides, I already told my aunt you were gay and in need of money."

Naruto put his head in his hands, "I'm not even sure of that anymore. Even at first it was more impulse because of Sasuke."

Ino gave him a long look, "Naruto, I am pretty damn sure you are gay. Otherwise you wouldn't be acting so wounded over Sasuke betraying you."

"Well, I-"

"Stop complaining, your shift starts at 7 PM and ends at 12 PM."

"You already signed me up? What about my other job?"

"Taken care of." Ino said.

"Ugh." Naruto sat up straight and looked around.

In the middle of the room was a dance floor. On the right side, Naruto and Ino were in this area, was benched off areas obviously for larger groups or better privacy. Left side was tables as well but they were more open and had plain chairs. At the front, directly across from the doors, was the bar. It spanned the entire room and almost every bar stool was taken up.

"Is this a restaurant/dance club/bar?" Naruto asked.

"Something like that." Ino said, "My aunt wanted to do all three so she just combined them. It turned out to be a big hit."

"Then how did it become strictly gays?"

"She wanted to raise awareness because my uncle is gay. Back when they were kids being gay was seriously looked down on. Nowadays it's more accepted."

"No kidding." Naruto said faintly, watching two guys making out.

She sighed and looked him straight in the eyes, "This job may not be entirely honest and something you want on your record but you get tipped big. The money is what counts now."

"Yeah," He agreed, "I still wish I had never met Sasuke though."

"It wasn't really his fault. If you're going point fingers look at your dad. He's not exactly clean in all this."

He gritted his teeth, "I know."

"Look at the time." Ino suddenly said, checking her metallic purple IPhone.

"Let me guess; almost show time?" Naruto got up.

"Go get em tiger!" She said as he started walking to the employees' only room.

He looked back to raise an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Ino grinned at him and gave double thumbs up. Chuckling to himself, he pushed his way through the crowd. It was pretty full and there was only a rare girl here and there. Mostly guys wearing all sorts of things were everywhere. Finally he made his way to the door and it opened into what looked like a locker room mixed with a dressing room. The white tiled floors and grey lockers made the room seem colorless. Some guys were pulling on white shirts and one couple was making out. Extremely embarrassed, Naruto looked away.

"You the new guy?" A guy asked.

He had short blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. Like most of the other guys he wore a long sleeve white shirt, black vest, tight black jeans, and black dress shoes. The guy looked to be about 17 - 23 years old.

"Um, yeah." Naruto said.

He smiled, "Nice to meet you, I'm Craig. Your manager."

"I'm Naruto."

Craig extended a hand, "I hope you become a powerful asset to the team."

Naruto shook his hand and was surprised by the firm grip.

"Alright." He said, releasing his hand, "Do as the other guys do and put on your uniform, its locker 31."

Naruto obeyed and found his locker at the end of the row. Just as he opened it a hand tapped his shoulder.

"Hey Naruto." A guy said.

He instantly felt awkward by the way the guy said his name. It was way too friendly. This dude had buzz cut brown hair, a snake tattoo curling down his arm, and looked Latino. Naruto knew this because the guy was shirtless. He also looked tough enough to bench press a truck. And he intimidated Naruto, a lot.

"Hi." Naruto turned back to the locker and pulled out the shirt.

Suddenly extremely self-conscious, he removed his shirt. He wasn't really muscly but you could see soft impressions where he would have a six pack. It was like someone had airbrushed the lines making them softer. If anything he was more slender than most guys. Feeling the other guy's eyes on him he put on the white shirt.

"Name's Deek." The guy continued.

"Nice to meet you Deek." He said politely, shrinking away in fear on the inside.

It felt like an impossible feat to take off his pants in front on this guy but somehow he swallowed the awkwardness and then was standing there in his boxers. Now Deek was openly watching him and almost too quickly Naruto pulled on the pants. They were a very snug fit and were nothing like the loose pants he usually wore. It was kind of constricting and rather embarrassing.

"So what are you doing in this kind of place?" Deek asked.

"Needed the cash." Naruto explained as he pulled on the vest.

"Huh, I'm just here because I _want _the cash."

"It must be nice to have such a luxury." Naruto froze as he let it slip.

Deek gave him an annoyed look, "Watch your mouth. Or I'll shut it for ya, pretty boy."

He left and Naruto put on his shoes feeling chilled inside. Great first impression on his co-worker.

"Look at you!" Craig said as he walked over, "Pretty clothes to match a pretty face!"

"Thank you." Naruto said, unsure of what else to say.

"Well I'll be throwing you a big fish for your first day. A regular and VIP; Edrick Murrin." Craig pulled him along as they walked towards the door.

"Wait! Sir." He tacked on as an afterthought.

"Call me Craig." He interrupted.

"Um, Craig, are you sure a newbie like me should do this?"

Craig smiled convincingly, "Don't worry, just smile and look cute. Judging from your looks you'd be Uke and most men like that. Do whatever he says and you'll be fine. Only disobey if it puts you in an uncomfortable position. Tonight you are catering to his every need."

"Okay." Naruto said, wondering what in the world 'uke' meant as Craig led him through the crowd.

They went over to the benched area and Naruto noticed Ino was gone. Figures that she'd ditch him. Craig seemed to be leading him to the higher class area. The benches raised to mid back and were clearly made of black leather. Even the tables were a fancy metal stand and glass look. Lighting over here was also controlled by what looked like little switches at the tables. Finally Craig stopped at one of the tables.

"Good evening Ed!" He said cheerfully to the man sitting at the table.

The man seemed to be about in his late twenties or early thirties and had brown hair combed in a professional way. He had on a suit that probably cost more than Naruto's apartment. Sharp green eyes stared holes into Naruto making him very nervous. If he screwed this up . . .

"Hello Craig, who's this? He seems to fit the description of my preferences quite well. I'm impressed." Ed, presumably Edrick Murrin, said.

"This is Naruto and he will be staying with you until his shift ends. Unless you rather request someone else."

Ed smiled, "I'm fine with him, the boy seems adequate enough."

"Well then Naruto, I'll be leaving you with Mister Edrick." Craig said and left.

Unsure of what to do he stood there awkwardly.

"Sit down Naruto." Edrick said, gesturing beside him.

Obeying, Naruto took a seat beside him but left a considerable gap.

"Why are you here boy?" He asked.

Taken by surprise Naruto answered honestly, "I need money fast."

"Is that so?" The man seemed genuinely curious, "In that case get me my regular, they'll know what you mean, and start earning your pay check."

"Yes sir." He got up.

"Call me Ed." Edrick said.

Naruto nodded and then made his way to the bar. So far his facade was fine but inside he was sweating bullets. No matter what he couldn't screw this up. The debt wasn't getting any smaller and Itachi wasn't getting any kinder. He would probably shoot Naruto if he didn't get the money in time. So the best shot was getting a steady stream of money to send in so he could live another day.

"Mister Edrick's regular." Naruto said to the bartender.

The guy nodded and handed him a labeless bottle filled with something that looked like wine and a glass.

"He'll want to be able to refill himself." The guy explained.

"Okay." He picked up both and made his way back through the crowd.

"Good timing." Ed said when he placed down the stuff, "Pour me a glass."

"Okay." Naruto opened the bottle and poured some of what definitely must have been wine.

Ed smiled and sipped the drink, "This stuff never gets old," He looked down and sighed, "Unlike me."

"You're not old!" Naruto protested.

Ed looked at him in surprise and then smiled, "I do believe I am starting to like you. Thank you Naruto."

Pleased by the complement Naruto blushed slightly. The guy seemed pretty high end so it was probably rare for him to be nice to anybody like him. Abruptly, Ed stood.

"Come with me, I need to finish up a meeting." He said.

Naruto followed him to the side of the room where there was several doors. Each one had a plaque that read 'Private Room'. Ed and him entered one labeled 'Private Room, VIP Use Only'. He used a key card so the door opened and when they stepped inside it locked automatically behind them. Uneasy, Naruto wondered what business this guy had. Sitting at the table was a man who looked about 50 with grey hair, brown eyes, and tons of wrinkles.

The room itself was pretty big. Mirrors were on both walls and stretched down each side. The table in the center had enough chairs for about 14 people and the table was long and square. It was about as wide as Naruto's arm span and was probably just for drinks and food.

"Chuck, good to see you." Ed said, smiling, and sat down.

Naruto stood in the corner and then the two began talking. It lasted for about three hours judging from the clock and he was practically asleep on his feet when the guy left. From what he gathered, Ed was a business CEO and Chuck was from a cousin company. They used a lot of nouns so Naruto didn't understand much but apparently Ed was a big deal. Millionaire big deal.

Ed stood up and walked over to Naruto, "Did that bore you?"

"No!" Naruto blurted and stood up straight, doing his best to keep up a good appearance.

Ed smiled and then placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders.

"Um, excuse me but-"

"Be quiet." He said.

One of Ed's hands slid down and grabbed Naruto's crotch.

"HEY!" Naruto tried to shove him away but the guy was way stronger than him.

He rubbed the bulge in Naruto's pants and chuckled, "You're bigger than I thought you'd be."

"Let me go!" Naruto choked out, panic in his voice.

His hand released his crotch only to place his hand directly in his pants. Naruto gasped as the man's hands felt up his cock. Ed began kissing him then, hard kisses raining down on his lips and jaw.

Shivering under the touches Naruto yet again managed to speak, "Let me go!"

Ed ignored him and pulled him towards the table. Shoving him down on it he released Naruto's cock only to pull down his pants and underwear. His cock was huge and when Ed repositioned himself, it dangled in front of Naruto's face.

"You play along or you're fired." Ed threatened.

Naruto's mind was screaming in horror at this turn of events. The cold table top against his back reminded him it wasn't a nightmare though. He opened his mouth to answer but then remembered that he needed the job badly.

Ed chuckled, "You need the job Naruto. In fact I'll even pay you 200$ if you please me."

Clutching at straws Naruto managed to choke out some words, "But, I have no experience! I'm sure you'd like someone with better skills."

He looked at him with an evil grin on his face, "I'll show you how."

Before Naruto could do anything he had re-pinned his arms and began tugging down his pants. He tried to struggle but his grip was strong. Naruto flinched in shock when his pants were down all the way and his cock was exposed completely.

"Pay attention." Ed said.

Naruto almost jumped out of his skin when cool hands gripped his dick. Then Ed put it in his mouth. He squirmed because of the wetness and then gasped and froze when the sucking began. It was like suddenly his dick was getting harder and harder until it was thrumming.

"No!" He groaned.

Ed began pumping what wasn't in his mouth and after a few minutes Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"STOP!" He moaned and shot his load.

Ed released his cock and raised his head to stare at Naruto. Slowly he licked all the cum off his lips. Naruto laid there panting and watching him through blurry eyes.

"Did you enjoy the lesson?" Ed asked, smiling.

"L-leave me . . . a-alone." Naruto stumbled out.

Ed moved up against him and yet again began kissing him. He caught Naruto's ear in his mouth and bit at it. Hissing at the pain Naruto tried to pull away. He was still held in place though and shivered while biting back groans as the kisses went lower down neck. Pausing over his collarbone Ed sucked hard and Naruto wriggled under him. Eyes squeezed shut. Ed finally released him and got up. Naruto didn't even bother to move as he watched Ed lick his lips and straighten his tie.

"That was very fun but it looks like your shift is almost up." Ed said, glancing at the clock.

Naruto just stared at him, trembling and half naked.

"Don't be like that." He said, "I have much more to teach you."

"L-leave me . . . ." He trailed off and lowered his head so he was staring at the ceiling again.

"Here."

Naruto felt paper land on his chest. Moving a hand he gently picked one up and put it before his eyes. They were twenty dollar bills. His entire body ached and his mind didn't seem to work. Where his wrists had been gripped bruises were beginning to show and his lips felt swollen. The door opened and Ed's footsteps disappeared in the rush of noise. When it closed the soundproof walls brought back silence.

It was about ten minutes before Naruto could pull himself into sitting position. His mind was still numb and what had happen hadn't really hit home. Moving sluggishly he slid off the table and grabbed his pants from the ground. With shaking hands he pulled them back on. He tried to take a step and almost fell down so he sat in a seat. Staring into the mirror he could see what he looked like.

Messy hair, swollen lips, wild eyes, and a hickey slowly getting redder on his collarbone. For some reason he couldn't feel sad, just empty. Like he was watching a movie and it had nothing to do with him. Carefully he buttoned back up his shirt and vest, making sure it hid the hickey. His head felt like it was full of fog and when he saw it was 11:48 PM he distantly realized it was time to put the clothes away. Moving in a daze he stood up, grabbed the money, and left the room. As he shoved through the crowd Craig caught up to him.

"There you are! You can bring the uniform home if you'd like." He said in his usual cheery voice.

"Okay." Naruto said, his voice sounding dead.

Craig's smile slipped and he looked at him in concern but Naruto had already begun walking away. He left the building and caught a taxi home.

When he got inside he pulled off his clothes and took a shower. The whole time he didn't really register anything. Finally when he was in his boxers and lying in bed it finally hit home. He had been molested and if he didn't consent to it he would lose his job and Itachi would kill him. His expression remained blank but tears began sliding down his cheeks. The sun was rising before he had finally cried himself to sleep.

**A/N: **_**So that adds another twist to the story. To be honest I want to murder Edrick (Aren't I great at making names? ;D) but he is gonna play a big role. I really don't like him though so if he dies it's not gonna be pretty. Poor Naruto. HOWEVER this is all part of the big plan. **_

**Remember to Review!**

**(Bashing against Ed is not only accepted but encouraged.)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N **So now I am gonna throw up this chappy because I feel like a horrible person for what happened to Naru. Lately it's been too doom and gloom so I'll mend some broken bridges. That and I doubt you'd all be happy if I left Naruto like that. Hell I ain't even happy. Makes me wanna slap myself. Enjoy the chappy! (I've spent 6+ full hours of writing on these chapters (5 and 6 were written and released on the same day) so try to keep the hating to a minimal) (ewe) Lookie there! Brackets inside brackets!

* * *

Naruto's POV

Everything hurting was his first impression when he woke up that moment. For a few blissful seconds he remembered nothing but then it all came crashing down. He remembered it all. Tears threatened to come but he steeled himself into calmness. Naruto sat up slowly and took deep breaths. His pulse became steadier and the tears had dried but he felt empty. Like something had been stolen from him. Pushing it away from his mind he got up and threw on a ratty Metallica shirt and plain jeans. His arms were sore from the straining against- his mind refused to go there so he ignored the pain and stumbled to the washroom.

In the mirror he saw the red mark and a single tear escaped his eye. Angrily he wiped it away and adjusted his shirt so it was hidden. Unless someone purposely pulled the shirt down it would remain hidden. Then he brushed his teeth and had some Cheerios. Time up, he grabbed his bag and trudged to the door. Opening it he made his way downstairs and stepped outside.

The sky was stormy and the wind was blowing hard. Naruto felt grateful for the weather and started running. The whole way to his school he ran. Even when his legs burned and his lungs gasped for air he kept running. Running from memories. When he finally reached the school, Naruto almost fell over and had to stand there panting to get his breath back.

"Naruto? Are you okay?"

He froze and everything seemed to hold its breath.

"What do you care, Sasuke?" He asked the raven haired boy.

Even with everything that had happened he had to admit that Sasuke looked good. His raven black hair looked as silky and soft as ever and those black eyes could penetrate your soul. Today he was wearing a grey and blue windbreaker and simple blue jeans.

"We need to talk." Sasuke said.

"Fine." He said, not seeing the point in fighting.

They both went into the school and to the second floor. Sasuke opened the door of a random empty classroom and gestured for Naruto to enter. When they were both in Sasuke closed the door and pulled up two chairs.

"Sit." He said.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked as he took his seat.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Itachi." He stared into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto took a deep breath to calm his nerves before speaking, "I forgave you a long time ago. I shouldn't have blamed you."

It was true, in the time Sasuke had been gone Naruto had thought about it many times. He had played all scenarios and it all chalked down to bad luck. If only his dad had been smarter, him and Sasuke could have just been two normal guys.

Happiness lit up his face as he spoke, "Naruto . . . thank you!"

He grabbed Naruto's hand and he hissed in pain. The bruises on his wrist burned.

"Naruto . . ." Sasuke quickly turned over his wrist and stared at what was obviously purpling imprints of hands.

His eyes become black ice and he spoke with leashed anger, "What happened?"

Fear ran through his veins at Sasuke's expression, he looked like he was ready to kill. He opened his mouth to speak but words wouldn't come out. Tears began running down his cheeks and he just watched Sasuke.

Anger showed in every part of Sasuke, "Who did this? What did they do?"

Mutely Naruto shook his head and wiped his tears away. They kept coming though and he gave up.

"Come here." Sasuke said, concern in his voice.

He got up and gently pulled Naruto out of his seat. Naruto allowed himself to be seated against the wall with Sasuke beside him. Warmth flooded his empty heart when Sasuke placed his arm around him. Grateful, he placed his head against Sasuke's chest and allowed his tears to fall.

After a while Sasuke spoke again, "Please tell me what happened."

Hiccupping a bit he managed to talk, "I-I got a new job. But there was a risk of bad things happening."

He could feel Sasuke's arm tighten, "A job where?"

"A gay bar, and at first it was fine. But the guy I was supposed to cater to that night-" A sob choked off what he was trying to say so he bit his lip to keep another from escaping.

Sasuke lightly patted his back. It was oddly soothing so he managed to continue.

"Well he, he came onto me. I-I tried to shove him off but, but he . . . it was horrible. Luckily my shift ended so he left before doing anything really bad. He threatened to get me fired if I rat him out."

Sasuke's breathing had become harder and Naruto could see that he was clenching fists so hard his knuckles were white and blood dripped down his hand. His nails must have cut into skin.

"You need to quit your job." Sasuke's voice sounded like he was gritting his teeth.

Naruto felt some of his fear and sadness leave with Sasuke like this, "I can't, your brother will just shoot me. I need the money."

He noticed how Sasuke smelled faintly of spice and cinnamon and it was nice. Slowly he was relaxing against him and all his tension was draining away. It was still there but not as bad and the fear didn't seem as immediate. Sasuke getting this angry for him, it was nice to have someone care.

"I can stop my brother."

"But not the other guys."

"Dammit Naruto," Sasuke said angrily, "Get a different job!"

"This one pays good!" He argued back.

"Then what are you gonna do about the guy? Who is the guy?"

"Edrick Murrin." Naruto stuttered.

Sasuke froze, "Fuck! I'll kill that son of a bitch."

"You're not a killer."

Sasuke didn't answer so Naruto decided to change the subject, "So where were you?"

Sasuke seemed reluctant to let go of the other topic, he could tell from his voice, "Business with an old friend."

"Was it Gaara by chance?" Naruto guessed.

"Yeah, we had a . . . fight."

"That took a week?" He asked in disbelief.

"It was recovery." Sasuke said.

"Wait so Gaara is back?" Naruto perked up.

Sasuke's arm pulled him closer, "Guess so, why?"

"Just wanted to talk to him." Naruto suddenly felt awkward.

"Fine, whatever. But only because of what happened to you." Sasuke got up.

"You know what I mean. Just friends." He said as he got up too.

Sasuke looked annoyed and Naruto smiled.

"Thanks." He said as he hugged him.

Sasuke was stiff at first but then he was hugging him back. Naruto enjoyed the simple action and was glad he was no longer fighting with Sasuke. It was lonely without him and right now Naruto really needed someone. When they pulled away he wiped his eyes and grinned at him.

"Seriously, thanks." He said and left the room.

As he walked down the hall he saw one of the guys who had been with Gaara.

`Hey, where is Gaara?" He asked.

The guy glared at him before answering, "Behind the school like usual."

"Thanks." Naruto said and took off in a jog.

When he finally got there the first thing he saw was a group of guys smoking. One guy saw him and nudged his buddy and they started staring. Feeling their eyes on him, Naruto walked faster and almost ran into someone.

"Hey watch it you - Naruto?" Gaara looked at him in surprise.

"I heard you were back so I came to ask what was up." He said.

"I got in a fight with Sasuke and needed time to recover. Basically I told him to keep the fuck away from you and he wouldn't listen. I really don't like people coming into my territory and taking what's mine."

"I'm not an object and you don't own me." Naruto said.

Gaara gave him a rare smile, "I do own you. My sights were on you ages before Sasuke. Usually I'm fine with complacency but someone is threatening my possession."

Naruto sighed and took and step back. His foot slipped and Gaara grabbed him by his shirt. The fabric ripped a little before he was pulled to safety.

"Who did it?" Gaara asked, suddenly serious.

He was staring at the bruises on Naruto's wrists and had probably seen the hickey.

"What do you mean?" He asked, trying to confirm what Gaara knew.

"Who attempted to force you?"

"How did you know it was an attempt?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"I've seen the look of people who have been raped and people who were let off easy. You fit the latter. Unlike most people, my life isn't that pretty so I know this stuff."

Ugly memories battered Naruto and he gritted out his answer, "I really don't wanna talk about it."

"Understood," Gaara ruffled his hair, "But you need to be more careful or I might be in jail for murder soon."

Before leaving, he wasn't sure if it was a joke or not.

* * *

Gaara's POV

As he watched blondie leave his control cracked.

"Get all of your asses over here!" He yelled at the guys.

An angry haze was on his mind. He had seen so many people destroyed and Naruto was NOT going to be one of them. Right now he needed to get some steam off though. Otherwise he was going to explode and probably end up in jail, again.

"Come at me all at once. Whoever takes me down is boss!" He announced to the seven guys who had come over.

They attacked but they weren't nearly strong enough. He disposed of each one easily and was only panting slightly by the end. The rage still remained though and he needed a breather. Classes had already started but he didn't give a fuck and sat down on the curb. He was very pissed off and wanted nothing more than to smash everything around him. Even though he had fought Sasuke he was also still mad at that punk too. Naruto was under his protection and Sasuke would be nothing but trouble.

"Fuck . . ." He sighed and continued to enjoy the feeling of the harsh wind.

* * *

Naruto's POV

The day had wound down to an end and he hadn't seen Ino for a while. It was okay though because he got to eat lunch with Sasuke for the first time. Sure he was quiet and didn't talk much but Naruto loved being around him. The warm fuzzy feelings were slipping away though and the closer he got to home the more panicked he became. Because there he would have to make the choice; go to work or don't go to work and most likely end up dead in a week. First thing he did was send the 200$ to Itachi and then he pulled out a microwavable mini pizza. When it was finally ready he ate slowly, concentrating wholly on the taste and scent. Refusing to think about the inevitable. It was his favorite, pepperoni, but even then it didn't calm him. Finally the moment of truth had come. It was about 6 PM and he got up.

Moving slowly he went to his room and pulled out the uniform. His wrists burned and his lips tingled. Not pleasantly but more of a stabbing reminder of the abuse. He pulled down his shirt and the hickey was a blazing marker. Like being labeled as someone's bitch. Naruto angrily slammed his fist into the wall and then fell to his knees. His heart began beating faster as he stared at the outfit. He needed to know what to do.

* * *

**A/N **So what do ya think? Sure it barely scratched the 2000 mark but the last one was 4000 and that ain't half bad. 6000 words in one day? Hell, it may not be a personal best but it would look good on a résumé. Also, when/if you review please tell me if my Author Notes are too long. I doubt you want to read my random chatter. To keep them down I tried splitting them into beginning and end so I could address things that happened in the chapter but I don't know if it's too much. Just give me a heads up if it is.

**Reviewing is your friend! You shall be bestowed the gift of a platypus if you do. :D Well not really, but whatever.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N **Finally! I really started missing this but using free time (revision time lol) in my Business class and the little time I get on the PC I'm writing this. Don't expect the happy Naruto and Sasuke couple to last too long. This won't be falling in love at first sight cuz as those are thrills sometimes they can get repetitive and boring. Also expect Kiba and Naruto to be best friends because I find that pairing adorable even if its not sexual. Man, it seems like forever since I've written.

Naruto's POV

"Nice to see you again." Craig said, smiling.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in the clothes. Why he had come back was obvious but he rather be anyplace but here. Taking a deep breath he threw up his own smile.

"Yeah, the pay is too good to resist."

"You have about 15 minutes before your shift starts, try meeting some of the boys. You'll be stuck with them for a while."

Naruto searched those clear blue eyes and felt no menace. Craig seemed like a genuinely good guy. It made no sense to have him here.

"Yeah, k."

He watched him walk away and then looked around. There was barely anybody in here and he knew none of them.

"HI!" A voice chirruped in his ear.

Almost jumping out of his skin, he spun around. The first thing he noticed was the eyebrows. They were friggin huge. Once he got past that he was actually able to look at the guy. His eyes were black and wide with curiosity as he looked back at Naruto. He had black hair in a mushroom cut and emanated the oddest feelings of a hyper charged battery.

"Hi . . ." Naruto said hesitantly.

"My name is Lee, Rock Lee!" He said excitedly.

"I'm Naruto, I just started yesterday."

The other boy, if humanly possible, got even more excited, "So that means you need someone to show you the ropes eh? Well I surely can do that job!"

"Thanks . . ."

Lee froze, and looked behind him with wide eyes. Naruto noticed the room had hushed and turned to see a man entering the room. He walked like a predator and every step thrummed with leashed energy. His hair was a spiky tumble of brown strands. Black eyes surveyed the room with a wolfish hunger. Instantly Naruto was intrigued. As the guy walked over he noticed how Lee shrank away,

"Who are you?" The guy asked abruptly, facing him.

"Naruto Uzumaki," He automatically answered.

'Hi Kiba." Lee squeaked quietly from behind Naruto.

Kiba glanced at Lee with annoyance in his eyes, "Hey."

After that Lee slipped away and left Naruto with Kiba. Everyone else in the room seemed to be fascinated with the confrontation. It was a suspended silence and did nothing to help his nerves. He had enough on his plate as it was.

"So why are you here?" Kiba asked,

Careful with his words, Naruto answered, "It's not ideal but I do need some cash."

"Saying something like that is like sticking a 'One Night for Cash' poster on your chest."

His stare hardened and he answered stiffly, "Yeah."

Kiba looked at him like he was surveying an intruder in his territory, "Come here."

Naruto followed him to the back room but stayed close to the door, ready to bolt. He had already learned his lesson and didn't want to make the same mistake.

"Who did it?" Kiba asked, now that they were alone.

"What?" Naruto asked, caught off guard.

"You're wary and seem uncomfortable in your own skin. Also I heard you were working for that high roller Edrick." His intuition surprised him.

"Why do you care?"

"Oh I don't," Kiba said nonchalantly, "I was just making an observation."

Kiba sat down on one of the chairs in the room. Now that Naruto was really looking around this room seemed sort of like a rec room. Where Kiba was sitting there was chairs grouped around a table. At the back of the room there was a small fridge and a sink. Opposite of the chairs and table there was a flat screen on the wall with two couches in front.

"This is the room for the best employees." Kiba said, watching him look around, "We have about 20 minutes to kill."

Instantly Naruto backed up and clenched his fists.

Kiba snorted, "Sheesh man, not like that. What I meant was do you want to play the PS3 with me?"

He relaxed slightly and cracked a smile, "If you're ready to be beaten."

"Ever play Call of Duty Black Ops before?"

"Yeah. a little bit."

"What's your prestige?"

He stopped to think, "I dunno, I haven't been on in a while."

"So," Kiba said, smiling, "You barely play and you expect to beat me?"

"Pretty much."

Kiba laughed and got up, "What're you betting?"

"What do you want?" Naruto asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down.

"If I win you have to tell me what happened." Kiba sat down beside him and tossed him a black controller.

"Well if I win you have to tell everyone you meet that you got defeated by the almighty Naruto Uzumaki." He said sarcastically, catching the remote.

"Deal." He held out his hand.

Naruto shook it laughing at the guy in his mind. He had put in over 500 hours, pretty boy Kiba didn't stand a chance.

Ten minutes later he was proven sorely wrong. Turned out Kiba had put in way more hours and had the uncanny ability to get headshots almost every time. Naruto gritted his teeth as he was yet again killed.

"Fuck." He swore and switched classes.

"So who is almighty?" Kiba taunted.

"Evan." He said sarcastically, referencing Evan Almighty.

Kiba laughed and effectively killed him again.

"Shit, how are you this good?!" Naruto asked, hiding behind a pile of crates.

"Practice and natural skill."

"Die!" He screamed and jumped out of his hiding place, shooting at Kiba.

"Nice one." Kiba said, respawning.

"So why're you working here?" Naruto asked,

"The pay's good and I seriously doubt any dumbass could get the jump on me. Nobody has anything against me. It's not like I'm some little girl."

"You make everything seem simple."

"It is when you have nothing tying you down."

"Then you're lucky," Naruto glanced over at Kiba, "Really lucky."

"And you're not paying attention," Kiba said as he killed him again.

"We have to go anyways." He replied, quitting with enthusiasm.

"Wait," Kiba got up as he did, "What did Ed do?"

"Sexual harassment," He mumbled angrily.

"The old man is known for it," He sighed, "I'll go talk with Craig."

"Why help me?"

"Just because I feel like it," Kiba eyed him lazily, "Do I have to have a reason?"

Naruto looked away, "No."

"Good, now pull yourself together, you've got 5 minutes." With that Kiba left the room.

He watched the other guy go and felt something surprising; happiness. In the weirdest place ever he felt a small spark of friendship. It was like a warm hug from a friend when you're down. Kiba seemed aloof and uncaring but he was going to talk to Craig for him. Maybe the whole Ed thing would be smoothed out. Honestly he didn't know what he'd do next time he saw him. Mostly it was the shame of letting the man get him. Even though it wasn't his fault he was guilty about how he reacted.

Looking back at the game screen once more he threw his controller onto the couch and left the room. As he was entered the changing room Lee appeared.

"That was Kiba!" He squeaked excitedly.

"Um, yeah." Naruto was still unsure of what was up with this guy.

"He's the best host here!"

That explained the guy's swagger, "Really?"

"Yeah, he gets paid most and people are always requesting him." Lee was practically hopping.

"So he has more pull with Craig?" Naruto asked, spirits lifting.

"Yup," He chirruped, "If anyone can get something done around here its him!"

"That's good," Really good for him that is, "But he can be a real -"

"A real what?" Kiba purred, breathing in his ear.

"Whatheholyfuohitsyou!" He yelped in one breath, spinning around.

Kiba smiled with an eyebrow raised,"Even with all I'm doing for you, you're talking behind my back?"

"I was gonna say nice guy," He lied.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Kiba patted him on the shoulder.

Lee seemed to be freaking out and gave a loud gasp.

"What's up with him?" Kiba asked.

"I don't know," Naruto said, wondering if he'd have to call an ambulance.

"I, I gotta go places, like, I - work!" Lee fumbled with his words until he ran off.

"Weird." Kiba said.

"So how'd your chat with Craig go?"

"Really good actually, apparently Ed has been causing some trouble before. _But_, seeing as Ed is such a rich and important guy the best he could do was assign me to him with you."

It was better than he could have hoped for, "Thanks Kiba."

"No problem, just watch your ass. And in this line of work I mean that quite literally."

"How can you joke like that?!" Naruto burst out, "You laugh about it like it'll never happen! How can you be so confident?!"

"Easy," Kiba said, "I can fight, I know what I'm doing."

"You on the other hand," He grabbed Naruto by the wrists and slammed him up against the wall making him gasp in shock, "You're small, slender, and _kind_. That kindness that will get you killed."

Naruto strained against him but Kiba was way stronger, "Let me go!"

Kiba instantly released him, "If that was someone with bad intention you'd be done for."

"You ass, don't treat me like an idiot." He rubbed his wrists and glared at him.

"That's what you don't get," Frustration colored his voice, "You are an idiot for even being here. You can't fight, can't figure out when you're in over your head, and seem to have the knack of enticing the strongest men in the industry."

"What?"

"Craig told me that Sasuke _Uchiha_had been stirring up trouble with Edrick Murrin. As well as Gaara from the Karicha Corp. One of the greatest corporations aside from the Uchiha Corp. Not to mention you are on great terms with the niece of the woman who owns here. If you were smart you'd fake your death, change your name, and book it."

"Thanks for insulting my intelligence," He snarled, stung, "And even if I did leave they'd hunt me down and _kill_me."

"Then kill them first."

He glanced at Kiba sharply but there was no trace of joking in his eyes.

"Wha-"

"Come on, you don't want to leave Edrick waiting." Kiba interrupted and walked out of the room.

Annoyed, he followed him out. It was loud as usual and the crowd was just as dense. People parted way for Kiba though and he followed behind with ease. He felt kinda diminished under Kiba's presence but when they reached Ed's table he was not unhappy about it.

The man was there, looking as cold and superior as usual. When his gaze fell onto Kiba though his nose wrinkled.

"Oh, its the head whore," He sneered.

Kiba looked down at the seated man calmly, "What would you like tonight sir?"

"Nothing from you."

Naruto was surprised at his change in attitude. He was clearly in a sour mood, which put him in a much better mood. Also Kiba's calm professional demeanor gave him a sense of security.

"Would you like your regular sir?" Kiba asked politely.

"Fine, you go get it for me." He gestured at Kiba.

As Kiba walked past Naruto he whispered, "Don't let him near you. If he makes a move towards you run and get me."

Naruto nodded but felt like he was being doused in cold water. He felt naked now that his only protection was gone.

"So you came back." Ed stated, his voice suddenly light and friendly.

He didn't get fooled, if anything he was even more wary.

"Yes sir."

"No need to be formal."

"Sorry sir," His voice stayed in that weird formal state.

Ed looked annoyed, "Do you want another lesson?"

"No sir," His voice cracked slightly.

"Here sir," Kiba reappeared at that moment and placed the same bottle and glass in front of him.

Ed glanced at him annoyed, "You know I'm starting to realize what bad hostmanship is practiced here."

"Anything else you'd like sir?"

All in all, Naruto thought as he was getting undressed back at home, the night went fairly well. Kiba had stuck with him the whole time and Ed didn't bother him that much. It was nice and made him feel happy and safe. The fact that Sasuke had stirred up trouble with Edrick also made him happy. He was excited to see him tomorrow and really hoped Sasuke would be at school. For once he wasn't dreading going to high school. People there had gotten nicer ever since he'd been seen with Ino, Sasuke, and Gaara. At least nicer to his face that is but it was good enough for him.

Still Kiba's words lingered in his mind. Maybe it would be better to just run away. Escape Itachi and the debt. Maybe he'd miss Sasuke but wounds heal with time. Or that's just what he told himself. Because lying to himself that everything would work out was much better than facing the cold fact that he was digging his own grave.

**A/N **FINALLY! I'm like addicted to music box versions of vocaloids. More improtantly though I'd just like to say that I'm back. My labby is going in to be fixed tomorrow so with any luck I'll be back to using it. :)

**The three R's: Read, Review, Remember. :D**


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